Bayern Munich's James Rodríguez Dilemma

James Rodríguez is one of the biggest stars in world football. At least according to his social media following.

The Colombian midfielder has 18.1 million followers on Twitter, 32 million liked his profile page on Facebook, and another 41 million follow him on Instagram. With 91 million followers on the three biggest social media platforms, James Rodríguez is the fourth most popular player on the planet behind Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) and Lionel Messi (Barcelona).

In other words, Bayern need James Rodríguez worldwide appeal to compete economically in emerging markets like the United States, China but also South America. The problem, however, is that head coach Niko Kovac has not always been convinced by the attacking midfielder this season.

MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 03: James Rodriguez of Bayern Muenchen looks on during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Sport-Club Freiburg at Allianz Arena on November 3, 2018 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images)

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Hence, the German paper Der Spiegelrecently declared the midfielder as one of six candidates that could leave the club in the summer.

On paper, it would be easy to get rid of the Colombian. The 27-year-old is currently on loan from Real Madrid from where Bayern signed the James for €13 million for two years. Furthermore, the Bavarians could make a move permanent for an additional €42 million, which would make James the most expensive signing in the club's history.

Whether the club will trigger the option has been somewhat up to debate. "We will see what happens in the second half of the season," sporting director Hasan Salihamidżić said in an interview with the German paper Sport Bild.

"In our agreement, we have an option until June 15, 2019," Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in November. "I don't think it makes sense to discuss it now. We have time to decide."

Meanwhile, Bayern head coach Niko Kovac has been more frank in his statements. "He is playing for his future without a doubt. Everyone, who wants a contract needs to be at his best at all times," Kovac told the German media on January 16.

The back and forward about James' future has not been left unnoticed in the English media. There the Colombian has been linked with a move to Liverpool and Arsenal, where he is a candidate to replace the unhappy former German national team playmaker Mesut Özil.

With his worldwide popularity and his ability to change games in an instant, there is a big market for the midfielder. Hence, Bayern could be triggering his exit clause now and move James on for an even bigger transfer fee, which would produce a financial windfall that could be used to aid the club's rebuild.

Speculations about such a move, however, have been shut down by sporting director Salihamidżić. "That's not Bayern's style," Salihamidžić said.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - DECEMBER 12: (L-R) Thomas Muller of Bayern Munchen, Nicolas Tagliafico of Ajax during the UEFA Champions League match between Ajax v Bayern Munchen at the Johan Cruijff Arena on December 12, 2018 in Amsterdam Netherlands (Photo by Erwin Spek/Soccrates/Getty Images)

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Such a move, after all, could be seen as an affront by Real Madrid, from James Rodríguez is on loan. The two clubs have a good business relationship and, in general, the big European clubs tend to avoid enemy takeovers like it was the case when Paris Saint-Germain signed Neymar from Barcelona. It is one of the main reasons why Bayern opted to negotiate with Atlético Madrid over Lucas Hernández, rather than simply triggering the French national team defender's exit clause.

Cordial relationships between the mega clubs also play a role in James Rodríguez's future and make it likely that the midfielder will not find out about his future until the summer. But cordial relationships aside there is also another reason Bayern are hanging on to James despite his internet popularity and their relationship with Real Madrid.

With attacking midfielder Thomas Müller suspended, Bayern will need the playmaker when they face Liverpool in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Müller has been an essential part of Bayern's resurgence in the second half of the Hinrunde, with Kovac playing the self-declared Raumdeuter on his favourite position right behind striker Robert Lewandowski.

Müller, however, was shown a red card against Ajax and James is the only ideal player to play his role in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Although James is a bit slower than Müller -- the Colombians top speed is 30.73 km/h as opposed to Müller's top speed of 32.52 km/h -- James has been the more efficient of the two with three goals and two assists in just 11 games -- Müller has scored five goals and six assists in 25 games.

Furthermore, James brings more stability to the number 10 role. The Colombian manages to complete 87.3% of his on average 70 passes per 90 minutes -- in comparison, Müller manages to complete just 73.4% of his 44 passes per 90 minutes.

In other words, Bayern need an inform James to achieve their goals in the Bundesliga and Champions League this season. The worldwide attention and the potential financial windfall that comes with it will be just an added bonus.

Manuel Veth is the Editor-in-Chief of the Futbolgrad Network, which focuses on football in the post-Soviet space, the Bundesliga and football in the Americas. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, ProSoccerUSA and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth